Tanner’s Crossing
(Centennial Park)
NW 1-15-18W, Beach Road,
Minnedosa

Designation Date: November 1, 1993
Designation Authority: The Town of Minnedosa
Present Owner: The Town of Minnedosa

The history of this site and the surrounding plains and rolling, parkland area, pre-dates European settlement by 10,000 years. The land had for centuries been inhabited by Aboriginal peoples, in particular the Saulteaux, Assiniboin, and Cree tribes. Bison were plentiful for hunting, and camp sites and burial grounds were commonplace in the Minnedosa area.

Tanner’s Crossing was the original name of Minnedosa, which was incorporated as a town in 1883. The site, located in Centennial Park, was used as a crossing point over the Little Saskatchewan River on the Carlton Trail, the main overland transportation route for pioneers travelling westward across the prairies. Mr. Tanner, a Métis, established a crossing point in 1872 which included a stopping house and ferry.